Quote:I agree, Daytona especially beachside, is pretty sketchy and run down.  They have tried to clean it up in spots (Boardwalk), but that area just seems to attract certain folk, and there is a lot of low income housing in some areas on beachside.  As an long time Ormond resident,  I try to stay away from beachside Daytona... I actually rarely ever go down there.  If you are not careful, you could find yourself in a bad area with crack houses and criminals.

 

Now the main Bike Week attraction, Destination Daytona, isn't even in Daytona.  It's in Ormond on US-1.  but ya, I admit I hate bike week.

 

With that said, Daytona around the speedway has seen significant growth the past few years.  Not bad for shopping and places to eat.

 

 

Rossmeyer built that dealership as a finger in the eye of the city of Daytona because they wouldn't let him build a new dealership in the city.  So, he opted to build the biggest Harley dealership on the planet with the intention of taking Bike Week and Biketoberfest away from Daytona so they'd lose that revenue.  It took a while, and he died in the meantime, but I think he's accomplished what he intended to do.  There are still large events at the track, and Main Street still draws, but most of the other stuff that used to take place in Daytona has moved to Holly Hill, South Daytona, New Smyrna, and Ormond Beach. 

 

I don't know if Rossmeyer's ultimate vision of having a Disney type place for bikers will ever come to fruition.  But, for the big events?  It's the centerpiece. 

 

The funny thing is the city probably gets a better clientele from the bikers than they do the spring break crowd.  The bikers spend money, tip better, and don't trash the place in the same manner the kids do.  Daytona residents may hate Bike Week, but it's a big economic impact on the area when 1/4 to 1/2 million bikers arrive to spend money and have a good time. 

 

The area around the track has really undergone quite a renaissance in recent years.  But, how heavily trafficked are those places when there's nothing happening at the track or in Daytona?  I know the speedway hosts a ton of stuff to keep the traffic coming, and it appears most of the restaurants and retail are holding their own when there's nothing going on down there.  Hopefully that continues.  We spend a lot of money down near the track hitting the restaurants, but we also like to go off the beaten path to find the local haunts that the majority of tourists aren't aware of.  I've got family down in Ormond, and good friends down there as well, so we always get their recommendations for places to go. 

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